Todd Willcox’s
review published on
Letterboxd:

I've read much about Gary Oldman's original screenplay and directorial debut with this 1997 film based, to some degree, on his growing up in southeast London where pretty much one would be on "the wrong side of the tracks" any direction you went. This is one of those films I love, largely because it's nearly impossible to watch. I've never heard the "f" or "c" words used so many times and in such quick repetition. The language is not a problem for me, though there was certainly lots of it. The violence from a father (brilliantly played by Ray Winstone) against his wife (brilliantly played by Kathy Burke), his wife younger brother (wonderfully played by Charlie Creed-Miles) and ultimately to his unborn son is some of the most disturbing violence I've ever seen on film. At one point, I found my eyes welled-up with tears beacause of the violence. This film stuck with me for days after I first saw it, and I haven't been able to see it again since. I was drawn into the characters and their stories when the violence and language could have pushed me away. The ending is slight comfort given what had come before. But it is worth watching regarldess of how difficult it is to see and it is not for the faint of heart.